Such is Life
by Centrifugal Convexity
Summary: The rewritten version of my original story! As a new threat emerges to the dragon race, new friendships and new enemies will be made. When the least likely person offers Flame and Ember help, their newfound relationship will be put to the ultimate test!
1. Chapter 1

**Such is Life **

_By Centrifugal Convexity _

_**Book one: Awakening **_

Cynder awoke with a small start, wincing immediately after from the pain in her muscles, which were sore from the weeks of constant fighting. A small, cool breeze rustled her scales, evaporating some of the sweat that thinly layered her midnight-blue scales. She groaned as she stirred, working her aching legs underneath her, trying to stand up. She attempted to push herself off the ground, and squeaked slightly with pain.

She collapsed to the ground, sighing. _I guess I'm just going to have to lay here for a while… _she thought to herself. _Hm, at least this grass is nice and soft. _

Her head bolted upright, and she didn't even notice the twinge in her sore neck muscles. "Where _am _I?" She whispered to herself. She looked around frantically for Spyro—and her heart stopped for a split second when she saw him. He was sleeping peacefully on his side, his wings folded beside him. And his sides weren't moving.

Cynder's heart jumped into her throat, cutting off her short gasp. Then Spyro's sides rose slowly, and she let out a gracious sigh of relief. He was breathing, at least. She yawned, lying her head back down on the cool bed of grass. "Where are we?" She whispered to herself again as she slowly drifted back into the cool, black velvet blanket of sleep.

~…~

Tricoseri's eyes snapped open as he felt the wave of another dragon's consciousness brush against his. His mind retreated back into his head as he stood up from his meditation position. He began to walk around the perimeter of his large prison, the walls and ceiling of which were made of pure Convexity, bathing the room in a dim, swirling, purple and pink light. His unclipped talons clicked harshly against the polished stone floor, echoing off of the opaque Convexity barrier.

"Master?" A giant ape in the corner flinched as Tricoseri walked near him.

Tricoseri growled, silencing him. "It's the black one—she's awake. She should take care of the purple dragon long enough, seeing as she's already became attached to him…" Tricoseri smiled, a giddy feeling loosening up his muscles, which were stiff from meditating for hours on end. He was going to enjoy watching the black traitor's face as he tore apart her purple lover right in front of her eyes. His tongue writhed in his mouth, eager to taste dragon blood once again, after so many years in captivity…

Tricoseri shook his head to clear it. _Later, _he thought to himself. He walked back to the center of the room, where a simple bed and pail of water sat. He struck the pail of water with his tail in frustration, sending it flying towards an ape that had still been asleep. The ape jumped up, expecting a beating. When none was forthcoming, he relaxed, and opened his eyes to see Tricoseri lying on the small bed, meditating again.

"Soon," Tricoseri whispered to himself. "Soon."

~…~

Terrador's chest heaved as he slept, his dreams quickly becoming more and more vivid. Images, frightening even for the giant Earth Guardian, flashed before his eyes, causing the green dragon to twitch and flinch in his sleep.

Then, suddenly, he landed in the Chronicler's library, his knees buckling as he landed. Terrador groaned and growled as he stood, rolling his shoulders and popping his knees; he looked around for the Chronicler, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Forgive me, old friend—I'm still learning how to do that," said a big, familiar-looking green-blue dragon that had recently stepped out from behind a bookshelf, the amulet on his neck still swinging from the movement.

Terrador flinched, swiveling his head around to see his friend and fellow Guardian, Ignitus. "Ignitus!" Exclaimed Terrador.

Ignitus smiled at Terrador's surprise. "Hello, Terrador," he said with a chuckle. "Yes, it's good to see you, too," Ignitus said to Terrador's shocked face.

Terrador fumbled internally, trying to regain his composure. Once he trusted his voice enough to speak, he said, "I-Ignitus, how did you come to be like this?"

Ignitus smiled and looked up, motioning with his head at something near the top of one of the bookshelves. "That's another story for another time, my friend. However, the more pressing matter is finding Spyro and Cynder." A book floated downwards to Ignitus' waiting paw.

The green Earth Guardian's eyebrows shot up. "They're alive?" He asked, excitedly hopeful.

Ignitus smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "I believe this will explain it all," he said, handing the book to Terrador, who looked critically at the thick, leather-bound book. It had been dyed purple and black, with a few swirls of pink and gold mixed into the hypnotizing pattern of color that adorned the book. In shiny, raised gold lettering, the title of the book was written: The Legend of Spyro.

Terrador reached for the book, which was still in Ignitus' patiently waiting front paw. The second the tip of his claw touched it, Terrador's vision was engulfed by a blinding flash of white and purple light. The feeling of weightlessness hit him in the stomach, and a roaring filled his ears, as if he were falling.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. Terrador, who had shut his eyes against the bright light, opened his eyes. What he saw shocked him and filled him with relief at the same time: Spyro and Cynder lay asleep in the grass of a meadow, the sounds of a small brook gurgling off to his right.

"You are now their Guardian, Terrador," Ignitus' voice echoed from inside Terrador's head. "Please, take care of my son," he added. "And, I don't think that I have to tell you to take care of your own daughter," chuckled Ignitus' voice.

"But, Ignitus," Terrador queried. "How will I help them? Assuming I'm still asleep, I can't touch or speak to them, can I?"

Terrador heard Ignitus sigh, and had to fight the growing pit of worry that had embedded itself in his stomach. "You, old friend, are no longer a part of the mortal world. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your body has died."

~…~

"You'd think that… months of fighting… and running for our lives… would've made you lose some weight!" Cynder grunted and panted as she dragged the vine harness that she had made up a grassy hill. She winced with every step she took; the soreness in her muscles and her persistent exhaustion was starting to get to her.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she crested the hill. From her vantage point high above the trees, she could see for miles amongst the low-lying mountain range. Scanning the surrounding peaks and valleys, she sighed with relief as she spotted a small village nestled in a valley in between two sheer cliff faces.

Turning her gaze down the side of the hill, which was nearly a mile above the surrounding valleys, she spotted a herd of deer grazing among the soft, lush grass that grew at the bases of the mountains. She took note of this, tucking it away in the back of her mind for later use. Cynder flopped down on the grass after shifting Spyro's limp wings and limbs into a more natural position. As tired as she was from dragging Spyro's limp form nearly a mile to the top of the small mountian, she succumbed to sleep in a matter of seconds.

**(A/N): Hey, all! I hope you've enjoyed the first rewritten chapter of Such is Life! I'll be posting the other chapters slowly at first, seeing as marching season is still going strong, and my school's team is in the playoffs, so I doubt I'll have much time, between marching band, the rock band that I recently became a part of, school, and my various other hobbies. Don't think that I've forgotten about this, and if I don't respond to your reviews, it's because I physically can't. **

**~CC. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Such Is Life **

**Chapter 2 **

Flame yawned hugely and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, trying desperately to focus on the words on the book in front of him. "Ember," he said, "Remind me why we're researching medicinal plants instead of training?"

"Because it's useful information, and it could very well save your life one day," replied Ember, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

The pair had ventured into the depths of the temple library before dawn, when the Guardians usually took over and kept the others out so they could read in peace. Ember sat in the midst of a vast pile of books, reading three or more books at once. She would read a paragraph in one book, make a note on the piece of parchment that she was using to take notes on the things that she read, then start reading a paragraph in another, completely different book.

Flame had spent most of his time walking back and forth between the shelves, searching for a certain book that Ember needed—the problem was, Ember frequently didn't know exactly which book she was looking for, so Flame had to randomly pick a book that was about the general topic and hope that she liked it.

Flame sighed. "I'm going to go get breakfast. Do you want anything?" He offered.

"No thanks," said Ember distractedly, not looking up from her current book.

Flame deflated slightly and then started walking out of the library, the tip of his tail flicking dejectedly. Ember caught this out of the corner of her eye, and said, "Could you bring me a roll or something?"

Flame perked up immediately, and after walking calmly past the old, wizened mole librarian, took off at a sprint towards the kitchens.

Ember sighed, putting down her current book, _A Guide to Sentient and Carnivorous Plants_. "Are you sure that this is a good idea, Marilyn? I sure am causing Flame a lot of trouble," she said, looking sadly at one of the bookcases.

The air shimmered where Ember was looking, and suddenly, a green and yellow dragoness appeared seemingly out of thin air. She had Ember's build: curvaceous, with the same, wide hips somewhat short legs, and the same bubbly vibe about her. Her horns were curved like a ram's, and they, her scales, claws, and teeth shone brightly from the constant attention she gave them. "Of _course _it'll work. How could it not?" She answered, flashing her friend a small, confident smile. "Men need to be tested every once in a while."

"But I'm already sure that Flame's a good guy," Ember protested. "Why do I need to prove something that I already know?"

"_Because_," Marilyn said impatiently, "Only the best males can actually keep up with his mate's demands. It's only common sense."

Ember groaned, rolling her eyes. She was about to protest further, but Marilyn perked her head up at the sound of running footsteps and concentrated hard, winking out of visibility just as Flame screeched around the corner.

"Ember, it's Terrador!" He shouted, doing a quick about-face and running at full tilt in the direction that he had come, Ember hot on his heels.

"How rude," muttered Marilyn, winking back into visibility. "Not even a goodbye."

The crotchety old mole librarian walked past the bookshelves that Marilyn was standing between and, without even looking in her direction, pointed one of her crooked fingers at the piles of books that surrounded Marilyn, and said "They're not going to pick themselves up, you know."

Marilyn scowled at the old mole's back.

**~…~**

_Flame, the Guardian of Fire. _

_Hm, I could get used to that, _thought Flame bemusedly, despite the news that he had just been told. His mind tended to wander whenever Volteer started ranting.

Flame's personal thoughts were interrupted by one of his red paws being crushed by a dainty pink one. He winced and looked over at Ember, who gave him a cutting look that said, _Pay attention, dumbass. _

The two remaining Guardians, Flame, and Ember had gathered in the large, circular training room of the Temple. After breaking the news to the two young dragons, he had appointed Flame as the temporary Guardian of Fire, at no small shock to either apprentice. They had had some training, of course, but despite that fact, neither of the two dragons were completely ready for the title of Guardian.

"… And despite these losses, we must remain vigilant against the recurring forces of evil. Flame, you and Ember will find Spyro and Cynder, and bring them back here. Is that understood?" Volteer finished his rant.

Flame and Ember nodded. "Do you have any idea where they are, though? It's impossible to scour the entire planet in search of two adolescent dragons. There's just no way," Flame protested.

"Ah, this here is my department," Cyril answered with a mirthless smile. "I've found a way to locate purple dragons by using a _Mana _Crystal to hone in on the unique elemental field that purple dragons give off!" His smile turned into a broad, proud grin. "Providing he's still alive, of course," he added as an afterthought, earning him a cold look from Volteer. He beckoned the two young dragons to follow him out onto the small balcony that overlooked the countryside, with Volteer following a small distance behind them.

A massive, teardrop-shaped green crystal was standing, pointing straight up at the sky, held in place by an odd-looking harness made of metal wires. Flame and Ember simply stared, mouths hung open in shock, at the contraption; neither of them had seen a crystal even half that size. It was easily sixteen feet tall, and about twelve feet across at its widest point. A small sphere of blue _Spirit_ Crystal, about three inches wide, was somehow balanced on the very tip of the _Mana _Crystal.

"C-Cyril, where did you find this _Mana _Crystal?" Ember asked incredulously.

"Oh, it was nothing, really, particularly for one such as myself. One just has to dig deeply enough," he said, swelling slightly in pride. With a small, self-asserted smile, he strode dramatically over to the contraption and, with a flourish, put a paw on the side of the Crystal for a short moment and then stepped back as the entire contraption started to spark and glow brilliantly, small bolts of green lightning shooting across the metal wires. "Flame, Ember—I give you, the Spyro-Locator!" He roared over the crackling of the lightning.

The lightning and glowing began move upwards into the blue _Spirit_ Crystal, making it glow white-hot. Then, suddenly, the light vanished, dissipating into thin air.

"What… just happened?" Flame said, slowly uncovering his head with his wings.

"Did it work, Cyril?" Volteer asked hesitantly.

"I certainly hope so," Cyril replied, reaching up on his hind legs and grabbing the blue _Spirit_ Crystal in his paw. "This _Mana _Crystal was nearly impossible to move." He tapped the blue orb a few times with the tip of a claw. It flashed brightly for a short moment, and then half of the orb started glowing, pointing to the Northwest like a compass. "Ah, it worked!" He shouted triumphantly, holding the sphere above his head. He cleared his throat sheepishly, bringing the orb back down. "I'm happy it worked, of course, but I'm not ecstatic—and I won't be until you two bring back our two heroes, safe and sound like I'm sure you will." He smiled warmly.

Ember walked up to Cyril and inspected the crystal sphere. "It works like a compass—only, instead using magnetism, it uses the unique elemental signature of Spyro." Cyril handed the orb to her, and she turned it around a few times, observing the way that one half of the sphere always seemed to point to the horizon of the Northwest. "Brilliant."

Cyril simply beamed.


End file.
